One Creative Family

Yesterday we had our “Mini” Christmas. As Katelin and Emily (2 granddaughters) couldn’t be with us tomorrow we had a family get together and celebrated with them. The theme was Desserts, and my table looked it.

Way too much food. The house was full of fun and laughter.

Everyone gets so busy, it is great to take some time and just enjoy life. This we did and am looking forward to tomorrow. This afternoon I am meeting with my good friend to exchange gifts. The stipulation we put on our exchange is that they have to be hand made in part or all. She is an artist so I made her 2 bags to carry her art to and from galleries, and then bought her a dragonfly suncatcher I made the box to put it in.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa, and just as important Happy 2019. May it bring you wonderful times and memories.

Last I wrote about following a fellow Blogger desertskyquilts, and her lists. This week I decided to give it a try. I had a good size list

I am happy to say that in 3 days the list was completed except the cake and pie. Those will be finished on Saturday as they will be for Sunday. I even had time to make it to 2 appointments, spend the day with a sick 3 yr old, sew, spend time window shopping with hubby, and spending an evening with the daughter quilting. Best week I have had in a long time.

Lists is my new favorite tool in my sewing room. This is Friday and I am already planning my next week. Seriously my next lists will officially start after Christmas. I will be spending the winter getting things ready for summer craft fairs. I am trying to come up with some new items to make and sell. This is the hardest for me. I like practical and unusual. Any suggestions?

Have a fun Friday and if you will be traveling over the Christmas Holidays, be safe.

With our family growing, grandchildren are all going different directions we are having a mini Christmas on Sunday.  Our oldest Granddaughter is celebrating with her Christmas Day with her boyfriend’s family and our third Granddaughter is spending Christmas Day with her dad, so we will have a “Dessert Christmas”  Table will be filled with sweets and we will enjoy everyone for the afternoon.  Then Christmas Day everyone else will be here again.  For this we need LOTS of sweets.  Sunday Katelin and Emily will take some home with them.  This week will bring 6 days of spending most of the day in the kitchen.  

As I was reading my daily blog friends, I came across  https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/3461388  She writes about Weekly Goals.  As I write this her blog keeps popping to mind and I do believe I will be doing this.  Out comes my dry erase board and my list begins.

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WOW now to start marking them off the list.  The cake will be on Saturday and Pie on Sunday.  I will break my day up so the mornings are in the kitchen and afternoons in sewing room.  I want to finish the flower wall hanging I am working on.  So close.  Then evenings watching tv with hubby.  Guess I need to let him know he isn’t alone in the house.  What are you working on before the New Year comes along?   How will you be celebrating the New Year?  Do you celebrate Christmas?  What are some of your traditions?  I really do enjoy hearing from all.

After a slumber party with a 3 yr old who was wound up after seeing Frozen on Ice, my brain isn’t working too well.  With this said I was looking at photos I had taken  of Missouri and will share with you.

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Kansas City Union Station.

I love getting ready for Christmas and can’t wait for all the excitement.  I don’t know what you do for Christmas, but ours was getting so “Predictable”.  With that said, I am bringing in some of my childhood get togethers and bring a new twist.  Normally it is dinner, open gifts, and visiting.  This year the games and dominoes are being dusted off, and we are having an ugly sweater contest.  Hubby isn’t sure about it.  He likes his “man cave” alone.  It will be good.

I have also been making little stockings for everyone.  One of the gifts we give the kids are gift cards and they are so boring to wrap, so they will be given in stockings.  I will hang them all on the wall above the sofa and see if anyone notices they have names on them.  This is a sample of the stockings. I am also making some of these cute “Lolly pops”.  When I went to quilt club Monday night we had a Christmas dinner and these were the door prizes.  I thought they were cute and plan on stealing their idea.  The stocking came from them also only the silverware was in it.  So cute. 

On the subject of Quilt guild Christmas, I worked for several hours on a cake to take.  As I was walking in a clutzy Jackie(me) dropped the box it was in and cake plate shattered.  Cake ended up in trash.  I felt so bad and angry with myself.  I will make another one for the Holidays..  Maybe Clutzy me will stay away.Before leaving home.

Oh well such is life.  Hope everyone has  a good day.

I have been quilting  this flower wall hanging using feathers.  I have been working on this for several days and am almost finished.  Hopefully I will finish tonight or tomorrow.  By finishing this I will have 1 more quilt to quilt then no more UFOs.

Oops the blue you see is my marking on the first few feathers and will be washed out when finished.

Today we made Gingerbread cookies, chocolate thumb print cookies, and have sugar cookie dough to make tomorrow.   Things are beginning to look like Christmas around here.   Just a little peek of the decorations in the house so far.  Still have more to do. It will be finished by tomorrow.  I am slow these days.

Have a wonderful weekend.

I am getting a new built in dishwasher for Christmas.  It has taken 2 week and 2 days to get it installed.  Last week had to change the date due to icy roads and sick elves.  Today Head elf came with the elves to take measurements and then left to build the counter top of the dishwasher.  Got a call this afternoon and he can’t find anything to match my counter top(is only 3 yrs old) so he is making a butcher block top and will be here tomorrow at 9am to finish.

I hope Santa doesn’t have anymore issues.  I guess I will have to change plans for grocery shopping tomorrow morning.  Oh well such is life.  I will be very happy when it is installed.

I did spend the day quilting and finish up some mending.  Was nice to be able to focus on getting caught up on things.  Now just 2 UFOs.  That  is still doable this month.  I am trying to be able to start the New Year with nothing to be finished.  Then my New Year’s resolution is to try and use up most of my stash.  This way I  can get space available for our next vacation.

What are your New Year Resolutions?  Anything fun?   Have fun doing what you do.

Oh my goodness only 22 days till Christmas.  Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow on the ground. It is enough snow to look like some sprinkled powered sugar on the yards and houses.  Roads look clear, but as I watch the cars coming up the hill(I live at the top) they are slipping and sliding.

Today I will make tamales for Christmas and then work on finishing my potholders.  This one I realized is a little wonky so I will re do this one.  They have each grandkid’s favorite recipe on it and on the back is a pocket where I will put a gift card to their favorite store.  Earlier this morning I started playing with alcohol ink.  Will be doing more of this.  I like it  For this I used Sharpies, and 91% alcohol(no drinking alcohol).  Now to the sewing machine.  Have a great day and remember be safe.

Today is day 2 of no schools. Sunday brought 5 inches of snow on top of rain and sleet.  The city was a little slow in taking care of the streets and most of the streets were like driving on a ice rink.  Got a lot of sewing done and finished cookbooks of family recipes for grandchildren.  Today brings candy making and cookie baking with my little helper.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We did.  This year our son and Daughter in Law hosted the day.  They smoked a ham and baked a turkey.  The day was beautiful and was truly a great day.  A peek at our family.  I am on the right in front of  the bearded guy.  The other couple are Ashley’s parents.  What a wonderful group to call family.

As you can see there is a large age difference in the grandkids.  Since Destiny is the youngest and  had no one to play with and Grandma got worn out playing chase and pretend skating, Uncle Jimmy took over entertaining her.  She got to “Drive” the “tractor”.    A good ole time.  As they were walking around the yard, she saw her first snake.  It was a gardener snake and Aunt Alicia’s boyfriend picked it up and threw it over the fence, BUT not before it said,”Hello, Destiny, I am a snake.”  She proudly told Grandpa she told it hi back.  I love the imagination of kids.  She will take after one of her sisters and both cousins.  They have all been in Drama while in school.

Love days like these.

I hope you had a wonderful day with lots of good food.